Sweden sees record tourist arrivals in 2014

An unusually warm summer in northern Europe has led to more people visiting Sweden than ever before, official figures appear to reveal. More than 25 million visitors stayed overnight in hotels, hostels and cabins in Sweden during June, July and August.

“Tourism is an important industry for Sweden’s economy,” said Gunilla Nordlöf, director general of the Swedish Agency for Economic and Regional Growth, which compiled a report based on Statistics Sweden figures.

Tourist numbers grew 3.4% from the same period in 2013, with foreign arrivals climbing 6.6% and domestic tourism 2.1%.

The central Swedish county of Dalarna benefited most from the trend, with a 14.1% rise in overnight stays, followed by Stockholm and Jämtland. But in revenue terms Stockholm benefited most, by 4.1% to SEK 1.98 billion ($217 million).

The biggest increases in arrivals came from Norway, Germany, the Netherlands and the UK. Curiously, there was also 179% leap in the number of tourists from Slovakia.